Lost
by Pilgrim Soul
Summary: After a tough day Lt Col Rob Parker is looking forward a relaxing Friday evening but his night in doesn't go as planned when an old air force buddy turns up out of the blue. Originally posted on LJ in April 2007. OC POV Shep-centric
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This was originally posted on my LJ and the H/C comm back in April of last year but I'm __finally getting around to putting it here for anyone who's interested but might not have stumbled across it before. This is a complete story but I have often talked about writing a little epilogue to it, hopefully one day I'll get around to it I just seem to have had a lot on my plate this past year or so. Anyway thank you to Alipeeps for making me look literate. Hope you all find something to enjoy here._

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Lost by Pilgrim Soul

Prologue 

The rain pattered down on the roof of the car and the wipers squeaked on the windscreen. Rob Parker drummed his fingers along the top of the steering wheel in time to the radio, humming along to the familiar melody of Baba O'Reilly. He'd taken the long way home, letting the drive work out the frustrations of the day before he got home. It had been one hell of a day. He sometimes wondered why the hell he'd decided becoming a flight instructor was a good idea - he wondered even more how some of the dumb rookies that were offered up to him for sacrifice ever made it into the service. Had he ever been like that? Yeah, he probably had; he smiled to himself as images of way back when flashed through his mind. God, he'd been a cocky little son of a bitch but hadn't they all?

It was the kids that had done it. He'd been sitting at the airbase in Kandahar; they'd just lost another chopper, three good men, good friends gone just like that, just the latest of many. It had been his little Katie's 6th birthday and he was sitting half a world away surrounded by death and horror and he knew there and then that he couldn't do it any more; it wasn't fair to Shelly and the kids. So he'd put his head down and worked his ass off to become an instructor. Sure, he'd thought about leaving the service, he really had, but it had never been a serious option and Shelly understood that. She said she'd married an air force officer and she wouldn't have it any other way – besides, she liked a man in uniform. He smiled at the thought of his wife; she was a tough lady and had put up with more than most. He'd seen plenty of his friend's marriages fall by the wayside over the years but they'd stuck out the bad times. No doubt about it, being Rob Parker was pretty good.

The figure was dressed entirely in black, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up covering his face, and Rob didn't see him until his headlights caught a flash of movement in their beams. Someone with slower reactions would have hit him, as it was Rob's heart leapt into his throat as the man stumbled out into the road in front of him. Rob hit the brakes, the car skidding on the wet road and coming to a halt inches away from the figure in the road. Rob panted a couple of heavy breaths, enough to feel his heart slowing in his chest. Looking up out of the windscreen, he saw the man still standing in the road, his head down as though frozen in place.

"Son of a bitch!" Rob hit the button to open the window. "Hey! What the hell…"

That was as far as he got, however, as at the sound of his voice the dark figure took off into the rain like a greyhound. Thirty yards up the road, he darted off to the left, cutting down between two houses, and he was gone. "God damn it." Drunk by 7:30 on a Friday night, Rob thought, I have some catching up to do. Shaking his head, he put the car in gear and pulled away, throwing a glance to his left as he passed the spot where the man had disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen.

Pulling his jacket up over his head, he made the quick dash from the drive to the front door, shaking the raindrops off his jacket as he entered the hall.

"Hi, honey."

"Hey sweetie, did you miss me?"

Rob laughed and shook his head at the sound of his old friend's voice. "As if anyone would miss you, Mac." Rob wandered into the kitchen to find Mac sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

He looked up and batted his lashes at Rob. "Just for that you don't get a kiss."

"Thank heaven for small mercies. Now what have you done with my wife?"

"She's upstairs doing girlie stuff with Katie."

Rob opened the fridge and took out a beer for each of them. This was just what he needed, a chance to sit back at home and have a beer with Mac.

"I'll stay out of their way in that case. So what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you have a date or something? I seem to recall that's what single guys do on a Friday night."

"You can remember back that far?"

"You're a real comedian tonight, you know that?"

"I just thought it might be nice to hang out with you and Shelly tonight. It's been a while."

"So she bailed on you then?"

Mac cast him a sideways glance and swigged his beer. "Yeah," he admitted grudgingly.

Rob chuckled. Mac had always fancied himself something of a Casanova. Sadly, he was the only one under that delusion.

Shelly wandered in from the hallway, leaning over to kiss him on the top of the head. Their West highland terrier, Cookie, trotted along behind her and nuzzled against Rob's ankles. He'd wanted a more manly dog but the girls had outvoted him and they'd ended up with the little white fur ball. Rob bent down to scratch its head.

"Hey! Good day?" his wife asked.

"Don't ask. Some lunatic just jumped out in front of the car, scared me half to death and then just ran off. And as for work, I swear, each new crop they send me is dumber than the last. If these kids are our future we're screwed and some."

"I'm sure you'll soon whip them into shape."

"No. I asked if I could use a whip. Apparently it's inhumane." He flashed a grin at Mac. "So what's for dinner?"

"You have a choice. Pizza or Chinese?" She unpinned the menus from the notice board and tossed them on the table. "You're not the only one who's had a bad day at work. The Robinson's are stalling again, the whole sale's going to fall through and guess who'll be left to clean up the mess?"

"Pizza it is then."

Thundering footsteps sped down the stairs and his two little girls ran in. Amy, the youngest, dived on to his lap with a joyful "Daddy!" while Katie, who had informed him she was now too old to call him Daddy or hug him, hung back.

"Hey, Dad. Mom, that weird guy is still out there."

"What weird guy?" Rob looked from his eldest daughter to his wife.

"There was some man standing out on the road a minute ago."

"In the dark and the rain and he's still there. He's just staring at the house. It's creepy, Mom." Rob slipped Amy off his lap.

"Rob, he's probably just waiting for someone."

"I'm just going to go check; I don't want some pervert hanging around the house."

"Daddy what's a pervert?" Amy asked.

He looked down at the perfectly innocent expression on the little girl's face. "Ask your Uncle Mac."

Rob wandered through to the lounge and, leaving the lights off, drew back the curtain. The rain ran down the windowpane in thin rivulets but in the edge of the street light he could make out a figure standing facing the house. A figure, dressed in black, with a hood pulled up over its head; the same man he had seen earlier in the evening and here he was, outside Rob's house.

Darting out into the hall, Rob flung open the front door. He stepped out onto the driveway, the cold rain smacking against the skin on his bare arms making him shiver, but the spot where the man had been standing was empty. He looked up and down the street but there was no one to be seen.

"Rob? There a problem?" Mac was standing in the doorway behind him.

"No. No, it's just… let's get back inside." He headed back through the house, feeling the chill rain soaking through his shirt.

"What is it?" Mac knew him well enough to know when something was bothering him.

"I saw the guy standing out there and it's the same guy I saw earlier, the one I nearly ran over on the way home."

"Are you sure? " Rob nodded. He was certain the man had been dressed identically and he recognized his build and something about the way he stood. He felt a twinge of familiarity when he pictured the figure, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "He still out there?"

"No, by the time I got outside he was gone."

"You recognise him?" No but there was that nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that he should.

"Couldn't see his face."

"But you're sure it's the same guy?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Daddy?" Suddenly Katie wasn't too big to call him Daddy. She looked up at him, her fear obvious. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side.

"Oh hey, it's okay sweetie. He's not out there anymore. And like Mommy said, he was probably just waiting for someone. Maybe he's a friend of Jerry's." Somehow he couldn't imagine the brooding figure with his middle aged accountant neighbour but if it eased the worry lines on his little girl's face he'd make it sound like he believed it.

Suddenly the little dog darted across the kitchen floor and barked at the back door. The little terrier jumped back and forth, growling and barking, trying to make himself sound bigger than he really was. Rob looked to Shelly who grabbed Katie by the hand and ushered Amy along with them.

"C'mon, let's go find something to watch on TV and leave Daddy and Uncle Mac to order the pizza." Rob watched them leave, seeing Katie's suspicious and worried face looking back over her shoulder, and all the while the little dog whined, yapped and snarled at the door.

Rob and Mac shared a look and each moved silently to the door, Mac moving to one side. Rob gently took hold of the door handle and, with a nod from Mac, swiftly pulled it open. He prided himself on his fast reflexes and rock steady nerves, he wouldn't be much of a pilot without them, but he hadn't been prepared to find the tall, dark figure standing just inches away on the other side of the door. Rob's immediate reaction was to put distance between them and he stumbled back into the kitchen. Mac, regaining his composure quicker, turned, ready to attack, but his blow was deflected the figure moving into the room and pushing Mac back against the wall.

Rob saw Mac's jaw fall open as his brain caught up with his reactions and he recognised the familiar face that Rob had found himself looking into just seconds before.

"Holy crap, Shep! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

Lost

John Sheppard released his hold on Mac whose body slumped in relief. Shep shut the door behind him and pushed the hood back off his face, revealing a shock of dark hair. The little dog skittered around the newcomer's feet, still yapping, only now with playfulness.

"Jesus Christ man, you scared the crap out of us! What the hell are you doing here?" Mac was half laughing as he spoke, his disbelief still written clearly on his face. How long had it been? Rob thought. Five years at least.

"Good question, Shep." His voice came out harsher than he'd intended but the truth was he was pissed right now. Five years and he'd heard nothing from a man he would once have numbered among his closest friends; he'd just walked out of their lives and never looked back. And now here he stood in the kitchen after scaring the crap out of them.

"I need your help." The voice was wrong, jittery and just a little too fast. It didn't sound like Shep. "I didn't have anywhere else to go." It wasn't just the voice, there was a nervous energy about him, the constant need to be in motion; he paced back and forth on the floor, his hands twitching at his side.

"What kind of help?"

"Rob, what's going…" Shelly stopped dead in the doorway, her expression similar to what Rob was sure his had been moments before.

"John? Oh my God!" A smile stretched across her face. "What on Earth are you doing here? Oh, you're soaked through! Rob, honey, go find him some dry clothes. Well, don't just stand there gaping at each other."

Rob looked from his wife to Shep who was looking at her with an uneasy expression; he didn't want her here, that much Rob could tell. She walked across the kitchen and reached out to Shep but he quickly backed away from her, a look of panic on his face.

"No touching." Shelly stepped back in confusion.

"John?" She turned to Rob questioningly but he had no answers for her. "What's wrong?"

"I just need somewhere to stay, just for a few hours till I work out what to do next. I just need to work out what to do and I didn't know where to go and I saw the train and I ended up here and…" The words came tumbling out of his mouth; the familiar laid-back drawl was nowhere to be heard. Shep's eyes darted around the room, seemingly unable to stay on one thing, unable or unwilling to meet their eyes. "…and I just need to wait and they'll come and get me, they'll find me and take me home and it'll all be okay, I just need to…"

"Shep? Shep?" Rob tried to get him to meet his eyes. "Slow down and tell me what the hell is going on here. What kind of trouble are you in?"

"Trouble? I don't know, I don't know what I did. They put me back through the gate. Why would they do that? I just needed to get away, there were needles, they just kept pushing me full of needles and they wouldn't stop. I just want to go home."

"Where's home?" Mac asked. "If you tell us, maybe we can take you."

"It's a secret."

"A secret? Can you let us in on it?"

"I could but then I'd have to kill you." Shep laughed, a shrill, giddy sound that only served to increase the uneasy feeling that had been building in Rob ever since his old friend had set foot inside the house. This wasn't the John Sheppard he had known. In all the years they'd been friends, he'd never seen Sheppard lose it like this. He was a man who kept his feelings in check; sure he'd get angry, he'd even shed a tear for lost comrades, but he was always in control. The man in front of him right now both looked and sounded crazy.

"Daddy?" Katie and Amy stood in the doorway, gripping each other's hands, their eyes wide with alarm.

"Oh hey, don't worry. Every thing's fine. Do you remember John, Katie? Remember he used to come and see us when you were little? You were friends." And that was the truth; Shep had loved the kids, possibly because he was the biggest kid of all. Although he'd never had any of his own, when they'd have barbecues Shep would be the one giving kids piggyback rides or kicking a ball around with them. Katie had loved him to bits back then, even called him Uncle like she did Mac, and now she looked terrified of this wild-eyed man who'd invaded their home.

"Katie?" Shep stopped and stared at the two children, his face softening and the unremitting jittery movement calming slightly. Shep took a step forward, seemingly transfixed by the children, but Rob stepped in his way.

"Shelly, why don't you take the girls to visit their Grandma? Leave us boys to it." Shelly still had a shocked and confused expression on her face; Shep had been her friend too.

"Sure. C'mon young ladies, go get your shoes and coats." She turned back and gave Rob and Mac a half-hearted smile. "I'll see you later." She paused before adding a "Take care." She shut the door behind her as she left.

Rob turned back to find Sheppard staring at him, bewildered and angry.

"You thought I'd hurt them. I wouldn't hurt the kids, Rob. Why would you think that?"

"Why would I think that? Because you lurk around outside my house then burst in here acting like a lunatic, talking crazy, scaring the crap out of the kids and Shelly. Five years Shep! FIVE YEARS!"

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." He sounded so much like a child. "I'll go."

Shep turned and walked toward the door and Rob immediately felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Mac stepped in front of Shep and blocked his path, reaching out to grab Shep's arm. The physical contact elicited the same response it had with Shelley and Shep stepped back, snatching his arm away as if the touch burnt.

Mac stared at Shep, every bit as confused as Rob felt. Mac's eyes opened wide as he stared at the hand that had been on Sheppard's arm. He tilted it until Rob could see the read stained palm.

"Shit! Shit, you're bleeding," Mac swore. Through the soaked black clothes the blood was invisible but the evidence on Mac's hand was enough to dissipate any anger Rob had left.

"You're hurt? How bad is it?"

"It's okay, I just need a bandage."

"A bandage? What the hell for?"

Shep slipped off the wet hoodie, letting it drop to the floor. A rag had been tied around his bicep; the blood had soaked through it and was trickling down his arm.

"I had to cut it out. If I didn't, they'd find me and take me back." Shep obviously saw the alarm on their faces. Cut it out? Rob looked at him, appalled; he'd done this to himself?

"Cut what out?"

"The transmitter. I put it on the train so they wouldn't find me but McKay will work it out, he'll know how to find me. They wouldn't leave me behind." Oh my God, thought Rob, he really is crazy. There had been hope in the back of his mind that this was just some kind of sick joke or Shep was really drunk but now he knew that neither were the case. It was only a matter of time before Shep started talking about alien abductions.

Mac looked uncomfortable; he wasn't good at this kind of thing. It wasn't that he was an unsympathetic person, he just had a tendency to say the wrong thing. Rob had always been the people person. Shep was good with people too, he was a charmer who could talk himself into all kinds of trouble and out again but with Shep that easy charm was just on the surface; as soon as things got emotional he'd freeze up like an awkward teenager. Awkward. That pretty much summed up this whole situation. Sure, you saw your friends getting emotional sometimes, especially when you saw the kind of crap that went with being in the military, things no one should have to see, but right now, soaked to the skin and with that hollow expression, Shep looked nuts.

It was the constant nervous motion that was really getting to Rob. Shep's lanky frame was never still and it was getting worse now; his limbs were twitching and shaking and Rob found himself fighting the urge to hold him down to stop it.

"It's okay," Shep said and Rob couldn't believe that this crazy man was trying to comfort him. "My team will be here soon. They'll find me and then Beckett can patch me up."

"Well, that's good but how about we take you to the hospital and they can patch you up now?" Mac asked.

"No! No hospitals!" There was that flash of anger and panic again.

"Jesus Christ man, you're bleeding all over the floor! You need a doctor."

"I'll wait for Beckett." There was no compromise in his voice. "Either help me or let me go." Rob made up his mind.

"Okay, I've got a first aid kit upstairs and we can find you some dry clothes while we… wait for them to come get you, okay?."

Shep thought on this for a second. "No hospitals?"

"No hospitals. Just the three of us, like old times."

"Old times?" Sadness passed over Shep's eyes. "Old times."

"Yeah, we had fun didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did."

OoOoO

Rob ushered the wounded man upstairs, being careful not to touch him. He grabbed some dry clothes for his old friend and then laid the first aid kit out on the bathroom counter and watched as Shep set about cleaning and dressing his own wound, still not being able to bear anyone touching him.

The wound ran along the top of his arm in a jagged cut. Although the blood had started to congeal, it was still bleeding enough to worry Rob; surely by now the blood loss would be weakening him? But it was the track marks on Shep's arms that drew his attention. There was no doubt in Rob's mind that they had to get Shep to a hospital and little doubt that that was where he had escaped from. The question was, what kind of hospital?

"We'll just let you get changed and sort yourself out. How about some food? You hungry?"

"Yeah. Yeah, food would be good."

"Okay." Rob shut the door behind him and went back down to where Mac was waiting in the kitchen, sitting at the table with his head in his hands.

"What the hell is going on, Rob? I know we always said he was a crazy son of a bitch but this?" Mac gestured toward the ceiling. "What are we going to do?"

"Give me a chance, I'm thinking."

"Is he AWOL?"

"No. Look at him, for God's sake. You think there's a CO on the planet who'd let him get away with that haircut? They threw him out Mac." He could tell by the look on Mac's face that he'd already come to the same conclusion but hadn't wanted to say it. They both knew that the air force was everything to Sheppard; he'd put his whole life into it and that was why what happened in Afghanistan had hurt him so much.

When Mitch and Dex had died it hit them all hard; those guys were the clowns of the group, always screwing around, loud, obnoxious, childish but impossible not to love. Looking back, that had been the start of it. Sheppard had never been a by the book kind of guy, he always walked the fine line between doing his duty and insubordination but had never stepped over that line until that day when Holland and his crew had gone down. Mitch and Dex had been killed 3 months earlier during a med evac; Sheppard couldn't sit around on his ass waiting on the senior officers to send in a rescue team while they lost more friends, so he'd gone in alone. He hadn't told either of them what he was going to do, he just got back in the chopper and went. When the army picked him up three days later he was in a bad way, still sitting by Holland's dead body. If he'd saved them he'd have been called a hero but there were no medals for failure. He should have been looking at a court martial, even time in Leavenworth, but the military couldn't afford any more bad press; court martialling a man who'd been attempting a rescue mission wasn't in their interests so it had been swept under the carpet.

No one ever said it out loud, and Sheppard covered it well, but a little piece of him had died out there with Holland; the John Sheppard who took that Black Hawk out from Kandahar was a different man to the one who returned after 3 days in the desert. He'd never spoken of it outside of the official investigation, not to them, not to anyone. Sheppard had been sent back to the US and a few months later they heard he'd been transferred to Antarctica. He'd called in when he'd been on leave once or twice and then nothing, nothing for almost five years.

"Something bad must have happened to screw him up like this and if they discharged him then that would have been the last straw. We need to phone round, find out what hospital he was in. Start by finding out where he was stationed last. Ring Eddie - he saw him a year or so back, said something about Colorado."

"You want me to ring round?"

"Yeah. You've got an excuse to leave the house, I'll tell him you've gone for pizza. Just find out anything that you can." Rob hated this but what else could they do but lie to Shep? He needed help. He couldn't work out what could have happened to turn Shep, of all people, into this. Sure, he was crazy in his own way, impulsive, stubborn, a natural risk taker as long as his own neck was the only one on the line, but in all the years Rob had known him he'd never really seen him lose control. Shep had put the barriers up so long ago he didn't know how to let them down; occasionally you'd see glimpses of what was hidden but there was always that control. Seeing him this vulnerable, this unrestrained, was disturbing on a level Rob couldn't quite explain. It was just wrong.

When a knock on the bathroom door elicited no response, Rob gingerly pushed the door open. Sheppard was sitting on the bathroom floor, his back leant against the tub. Cookie had found his way into the bathroom and was curled up on Sheppard's lap. The track pants were too short and rode up to Shep's calves and his feet were bare, the shivering had increased and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"You're pissed at me." It was a statement not a question.

"A little but I'll get over it."

"Is Shelly pissed at me?" Shep stroked the little dog's back in long deliberate strokes. Cookie snuggled up against him, clearly enjoying the attention.

"I think she's worried about you. We all are."

"I'm kinda worried about me too. Everything's so confusing, Rob. All I wanted was to go home, I don't even know how I ended up here. I thought they'd be here by now, I thought they'd come and get me. I want to go home but if I go back to the mountain they'll stick me with needles and it'll start all over again. They were supposed to save me, supposed to make it stop."

"Your team?" Shep nodded. "How are they going to find you?"

"They'll work it out, they always do. McKay will work it out."

"Who's McKay?"

"He's the man with the plan. Genius number one."

"And he's part of your team?"

"Yeah. Me, McKay, Ronon and Teyla. The four of us together… we'd take on the universe."

"You used to say that about us."

"That was before… before I screwed up."

"You didn't screw up. You did what you felt you had to do, you just shouldn't have done it alone. If Mac and I had been with you…"

"I didn't want you to get in trouble. Mac was up for promotion and you, you had Shelly and the kids." For the first time this sounded like the old Shep.

"You had a lot to lose too."

"You think? No family to speak of, a failed marriage? It was just me and I couldn't leave them out there Rob, I had to try."

"I know, buddy. I know." They both sat in silence, their minds travelling through that country of deserts and mountains where they had lost so many friends.

OoOoO

On hearing the front door click, Rob jogged down the stairs to find Mac in the hallway clutching a pizza box. He grabbed his friend's arm and led him into the kitchen.

"Where is he?" Mac whispered.

"Upstairs. I haven't managed to get him out of the bathroom yet. For a while there I thought I was getting somewhere, he seemed more like himself, but then he started on about how he's a superhero or something."

"A superhero?"

"Yeah, The Fantastic Four. Apparently his team consists of a genius doctor, a giant guy with dreadlocks and a sword and a beautiful warrior princess or something."

"Shit. I know we always said he was insane but not like this."

"Yeah, I know. What the hell happened to him? I never figured Shep as the kind of guy who'd go all post-traumatic stress on us. What did they do to him to make him like this? "

"I don't know… but people are looking for him, people high up."

"What?"

"I started phoning around and the next thing I know I get a call from some Colonel at the Pentagon telling me to keep him here. The Pentagon called me on my cell, Rob. Whatever he's done, he's in deep shit."

"Crap! I figured he'd just gone nuts. Crap!" What the hell had Sheppard done? It made no sense. After what happened in Afghanistan no way would Shep ever be allowed near anything classified, hell, he'd be lucky if they'd let him anywhere near a combat situation. None of this made any sense.

"What are we going to do?"

"What can we do? We just keep him here. This is out of our hands." The sound of movement on the stairs stopped their frantic whispering. Sheppard stumbled into the hallway and toward the kitchen, his hand on the wall steadying him and Cookie trotting along beside him, staying close to his new found friend. He was ashen and shaking, his condition having worsened in the short time since Rob had left him sitting on the bathroom floor.

"What's going on?" His voice sounded as shaky as his body looked. Rob put on the calmest voice he could muster but found himself wincing at the mock cheerfulness.

"Mac brought pizza." Sheppard curled his lip into a grimace and his complexion seemed to become even paler.

"Not hungry."

"Maybe you should have stayed in the bathroom. You look pretty green." Stayed in the bathroom so I wouldn't have to look at you, talk to you. Rob felt guilty at the thought but it was the truth; it hurt seeing Shep like this and it was uncomfortable and awkward and he actually felt relieved knowing that soon someone would be coming for him.

"I'll be fine. They should have been here by now. Why haven't they come for me? We don't leave people behind."

"I don't know buddy. Maybe they got held up in traffic." Rob rolled his eyes at Mac's attempt to calm Shep down. The reaction from Shep was a impatient glare.

"Maybe I should go, keep moving."

"No, no, that would be a bad idea. How would they find you then? Besides, you're pretty weak, you really need to rest. I tell you what, I'll make up the spare room for you, how about that?"

"No, can't sleep yet. It's not safe."

"Sure it is. Mac and I will keep watch. We'll take care of you." Rob's chest tightened at the lie. How could they do this to him? Shep was one of the good guys and here they were betraying him but what else could they do? He couldn't risk damaging his career; he had a wife and kids to think about. With any luck the worst that would happen to Sheppard would be a psychiatric hospital for a few years. They'd put him straight, sort all this out. And then what? What would happen to him then? Rob pushed those thoughts away and bit back the guilt.

Shep studied them. His dark eyes, tired and pain filled, spoke of his indecision. He wanted to believe them, he wanted to stay, to trust them, but there was something stopping him. Rob looked at Mac and the tension and worry was plain to see. He wondered if his own thoughts were so clearly written on his face. Anger shimmered in Shep's bloodshot eyes and the corner of his mouth twisted up into a sneer.

"When are they coming, Mac?" He spoke to Mac but kept his eyes on Rob, the first real eye contact he'd made since he'd first stepped into the house.

"Who? Your friends?"

"Don't play dumb. I may be a little bits nuts right now but I'm not an idiot." His voice was low and even, sounding stronger and more even than it had moments before. He was standing up straighter too, no longer leaning on the wall for support. As if on cue, Cookie perked up his ears and trotted into the hallway, his head cocked to one side. He barked tentatively at the front door. "They're already here, aren't they?" Shep twisted his face in disgust. "You're going to take care of me? I came here because I trusted you."

Rob felt sick seeing the hurt in his friends eyes but the decision had been made. It was too late to do anything now and he knew that this was for the best, Shep needed help and neither he nor Mac couldn't give it to him. Shep flicked off the lights and padded across the kitchen floor still in his bare feet. He twitched the curtains back and peered out into the garden.

"You need to see a doctor, John." Mac said gently.

"What I need is to get out of here." There was a firm knock at the front door and Cookie yapped and bounced in the hallway. Sheppard snapped his head round at the sound, genuine fear in his eyes.

"They're not going to hurt you…" But Sheppard was already at the back door. "Jesus man, you've got no shoes on and you'll freeze to death in this rain." The knock repeated, louder and more impatient. Sheppard gave them one last look before pulling open the door.

The airman standing on the other side wore a solemn expression, the name tag on his chest read Brennan. He was a young man, no more than twenty with the kind of earnestness that only comes with youth.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard? You need to come with me, Sir." Rob barely had a moment to register his shock at Sheppard's rank; Sheppard's reactions were fast, faster than Rob would have believed for someone who had looked so weak a moment before. The first punch landed square on the young man's jaw, a second followed to his gut and the airman staggered forward into the kitchen, crumpling into a heap on the floor. Sheppard leaped over him and out into the rainy night.

Rob followed on instinct as he heard the airman cry out behind him and heard the footsteps of the man's companions slapping along the path down the side of the house. Sheppard stood in the back yard, fenced in on three sides and his escape cut off on the other, his eyes darting desperately around him, looking like a cornered animal. A senior airman and another rookie rounded the corner as Brennan regained enough strength and composure to stagger to the doorway. Shep looked from the house to the approaching airmen and then back to Rob, his legs bent slightly, ready to run.

"You have to come with us, Sir." The senior airman kept his voice calm, holding out his hand in a placating gesture. "No one is going to hurt you." All the time the airmen crept closer, tightening the circle around Sheppard. Rob felt Mac at his shoulder.

"John, listen to them. No one wants to hurt you. We'll make sure of that, won't we Rob?"

"Yeah, you can count on it."

Sheppard turned his eyes briefly toward them.

"Count on you? Seems I can't count on anyone." Shep pivoted on his bare feet and sprinted for the fence, leaping in the air and grasping the top of it, but he wasn't quick enough; the airmen cleared the distance between them and grabbed his legs, dragging him down on to the wet lawn. Shep stopped struggling long enough for the airmen to loosen their grip and then fought back with every inch of determination and energy he had left. He swung out with his limbs, making contact wherever he could. Soon he had forced his way back on to his feet and fought with surprising grace and skill.

Rob stepped forward, trying to calm the situation, shouting, desperately trying to get through to not just Sheppard but the airman attempting to subdue him. He reached out to pull one of the airman off and received an elbow to the face for his trouble. He staggered backward, clutching at his throbbing cheek bone, already feeling the bruise form. Through blurred vision he looked back at the fray and saw Mac dragging the same airman off Sheppard who used the opportunity to slip the grip of the other two men and make a second dash for the fence.

Suddenly a flash of blue light surrounded him, crackling around Sheppard's body as he crumpled to the ground. Rob stared at Sheppard's unconscious form collapsed on the lawn, the frantic commotion of moments earlier replaced with a stunned silence, Mac and the three airman all standing in shock. The only sound was that of the constant rain. A few seconds passed before the anyone spoke and Rob turned to find two figures standing at the side of the house, the shorter of the two men complaining, in a voice slightly nasal and whining in tone, "You just had to go and shoot him didn't you?"

"I stopped him, didn't I?" The other man spoke in a deep voice that matched his size. He towered over everyone else in the garden by at least 6 inches and the full length coat he wore did little to hide the powerful physique beneath it. Dreadlocks hung down his back and all he was missing from Sheppard's description was the sword.

"Well, yes, but now we have some explaining to do."

"Damn right you do!" Rob shouted. Someone had some explaining to do anyway; he didn't care how high up this went, this was his damned backyard and he wanted some answers. "Now, is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"That is a very good question." Two more strangers walked around the corner. The young woman, beautiful and exotic-looking despite her bedraggled appearance from the relentless rain, threw a angry look at her companions upon seeing Sheppard laying on the sodden ground and moved quickly to his side, the big man with the dreads following her and the little man with the whiny voice tagging along behind, mumbling to himself. The speaker was an officer of about Rob's own age with cropped brown hair and a southern accent and his question was directed at the airmen who snapped to attention at the sight of him. "You were given orders to detain Colonel Sheppard, not start a fight with him. What the hell did you boys think you were doing?" The senior airman opened his mouth to speak. "On second thought, don't answer that. I'll deal with you later. Go wait in the car."

"Sir, we…"

"That's an order, not a request." The three airman trailed past them with defeated expressions, obviously as full of questions as Rob himself felt. He could see Mac watching them go, his own face contorted in confusion. Rob opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say now. He wanted answers but wasn't sure he'd get them. The big man had lifted Sheppard off the ground and was heading for the house. Rob pointed at them and turned back to the officer who seemed to be in charge.

"What did you do to him? Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine. Let's just all go inside for a minute and I'll explain." The officer gestured toward the door and Rob realised that they were all still standing in the rain. He turned and trudged back into the house. Sheppard had been laid out on the kitchen table; the woman had rolled up her military issue jacket and placed it under his head and stood wiping Sheppard's hair back off his face. The big man loomed in the doorway to the hall while the smaller man was raiding the cookie jar, the little Westie sat at his feet hoping for a few crumbs. He stopped with a cookie half-way to his mouth when he realised that everyone was watching him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you mind?" he asked Rob.

"Knock yourself out." Rob was too tired to argue with the man, he just wanted some kind of explanation. He walked over to the ice box and took out the tray of ice cubes, emptying them into a towel. He pulled out a chair and sat down, dabbing gingerly at his swollen cheek bone with the makeshift ice-pack. "Now, I'd really appreciate it if someone, anyone, would explain what the hell is going on here. Starting with what the hell did you just do to Shep?"

"Let's start with the introductions. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the gentleman eating your food is Doctor Rodney McKay…" McKay?

"Genius number one?"

"What?" McKay spat out a few crumbs as he spoke.

"That's what Sheppard called you."

"Really? HA!" A smug grin spread across McKay's face. "Well, you can't argue with fact I suppose."

"I am guessing he did not say you were also modest," the young woman spoke, her voice clear with an almost musical quality to it. Mitchell pointed to her.

"This here is Teyla Emmagan."

"It is an honour to meet you," she replied.

"And the big guy over there is Ronon Dex." The big guy in question nodded in response. Rob looked around his kitchen, seeing the people who only minutes before he would have sworn were figments of Sheppard's imagination.

"Lieutenant Colonel Rob Parker and this is Major Donald McAlaster."

"Yeah. Now, I'm guessing I don't have to tell you guys that what happened here just now is classified information, as is anything Colonel Sheppard may have told you."

"Colonel Sheppard?" Mac asked in disbelief. "You're going to have to forgive us but last time we saw Shep, they weren't planning on promoting him any time soon."

"Well, you can't keep a good man down." Mitchell replied. "Your old buddy is something of a hero these days."

"So he's not in any kind of trouble?"

"No." McKay looked at Rob like he was mad. "Why would he be in any kind of trouble? Well, apart from the usual kind of trouble he gets himself and usually the rest of us into on a regular basis. Why would you think that?"

"He turns up on my doorstep acting all kinds of crazy and then the Pentagon says they're looking for him and you guys turn up and shoot him with… something!"

"What you saw Ronon use was a prototype weapon. It works in the same way as a taser only without the wires, it's very new, still experimental and of course very hush hush," Mckay explained. "Another five minutes and he'll be fine."

"Fine? He's a nut job."

"Well, I won't argue with you there."

"Rodney!" Teyla berated the doctor who folded his arms across his chest in the manner of a sulking child. "John has been through a terrible ordeal. His behaviour has been affected but he is on his way to recovering."

"Basically, Sheppard was captured by some particularly nasty bad guys and subjected to some pretty intense torture, most of which involved massive levels of narcotic substances being pumped into him," Mitchell continued. "We've had him in a hospital in Colorado where they've been trying to wean him off the stuff but the drugs cause paranoia and Sheppard here… well, I guess he got sick of people sticking needles in him. Can't say I blame him."

"Is he gonna get better?" Mac asked, his voice quiet and full of concern.

"Of course he is," McKay snapped. "Couple of months and he'll be fine. Not that he was ever a shining example of sanity but he'll be back to his old, deeply annoying, self in no time." McKay sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as everyone else.

"He'll make a full physical recovery." Mitchell stated.

"And mentally?"

"The doctors are hopeful."

"He's tougher than he looks," Ronon added. Rob had to think of him as Ronon; it was what Sheppard had called him and the name Dex held too many memories. It the first time the big man had spoken since they'd entered the house. Rob wasn't a man who was easily intimidated but Ronon's laid back body language still managed to convey a hidden menace, one that was reinforced by his sheer size.

"And that's all you can tell us?"

"I'm afraid so and I have to ask that you repeat none of this to anyone else. Did anyone else see him here?"

"My wife and daughters but they went to her parents a while ago. I can cover with the kids and you can trust Shelly not to say anything."

"Okay, good. Before we go, I just have to ask, what exactly has Colonel Sheppard said to you about the nature of his work? He talked about McKay - did he mention anyone else to you, talk about anything in particular?" Rob thought back over Sheppard's rambling statements.

"He talked about his team a lot, about these three." He gestured around the kitchen.

"Anything else? Did he mention his mission? Anything like that?"

"A lot of crazy talk about superheroes and monsters."

"Yeah, well that'd be the drugs talking, you know hallucinations and stuff." McKay explained in his clipped tone. "When we first found him he was rambling about alien vampires."

"Yeah, he seems to have a thing about aliens, said they planted something in his arm." Rob suddenly remembered the wound on Sheppard's arm. "He cut himself, cut his arm right open. You need to get him to a doctor."

"I agree," Teyla said, "and it would be better if he awoke somewhere familiar to him." She turned to Rob and Mac. "Thank you for taking care of him." She tilted her head in a slight bow.

"Well, that's what friends do."

"Indeed it is," Teyla replied. Ronon once again lifted Sheppard. Mitchell helped him this time and between them they pulled Sheppard up into an awkward upright position, his body as limp as a rag doll, and Ronon leant forward and hoisted him over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

"He knew you'd come for him," Rob said. "He said you'd find him no matter what."

"We always do," Ronon replied before turning and heading down the hall, Mitchell in tow. McKay hovered at the doorway and Teyla offered them one last smile.

"You guys mean a lot to him." Rob told her.

"As do you. I do not think he would have come here if he did not trust you and John does not bestow his trust easily."

"I can't help thinking we broke that trust tonight."

"He will understand."

"I hope so." Mac voiced what Rob felt. He needed to believe that the look of betrayal he'd seen on Sheppard's face wouldn't colour their friendship. "And can you tell him not to leave it five years next time? And if he's gonna turn up on my doorstep out of the blue, can he at least bring a decent bottle of Scotch with him?"

"I will be sure to tell him." She turned and walked away. McKay hesitated.

"Did he really say I was a genius?"

"Yeah."

McKay raised his chin and allowed himself a little grin, not the same kind of self-satisfied smirk that had graced his features earlier but a warm smile. He let out a snort of amusement.

"Well, it was… uh… nice meeting you." He turned and scurried out of the kitchen and down the hall, shutting the door behind him and leaving Rob and Mac behind, drenched and confused. They sat in silence for a few moments, trying to take in everything that had happened, trying to make sense of it all. John Sheppard had always been different; as a pilot he'd always stood out and as a person he'd never been one of the crowd, his quirky personality and rock solid morality had been his undoing back then, he wasn't the yes man that the military wanted. Maybe he'd finally found somewhere he belonged.

"Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know about you but I could do with a beer."

_ The End. _


End file.
